The Dream Master's Gate
by LovingTheOgre
Summary: Nightmares aren't real. You can't die from a nightmare...right?" Cedric asked the doctor in front of him only to not be answered. Maybe he would have been better off dying in the tournament then moving to Springwood in muggle America. Review it'll go on
1. Chapter 1

**_The Dream Master's Gate_**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters except the original ones. This was written out of pure boredom and silly-ness. Sorry if it sucks rotten eggs.**

-

"A sanitarium? My son needs not to go into any institution for some silly old nightmare!" Amos Diggory's voice could be heard from behind the heavy wooden office door. Why his father had decided to move to his mother's old hometown in America Cedric would never know. Currently Cedric sat in an all too sterile white hallway waiting for his father and his "shrink" to finish their discussion. It wasn't too abnormal really, to have nightmares but to have them in class to wake with a blood curdling scream? Apparently that constituted as abnormal.

"Mr. Diggory please, Amos...there have been symptoms like this before. In the 1980's particularly but..." The doctor, Mr. Aldridge's voice became a low sort of whisper carrying off. Cedric couldn't make it out. Symptoms, huh? Then that would explain the nightmare's he'd had as of late even in the classroom though how it was even possible that sleep deprivation be linked to any sort of condition he wouldn't know.

He looked up, staring at the too white ceiling thinking hard about everything that had happened in his life as of late. Since the tournament since he had somehow dodged that hex and somehow lived his father had decided to move far away from the war, waiting only for Cedric to finish his schooling there of course. Of course Cedric was a bit angered by the move but he figured his father had his reasoning.

But, he could still feel the heat radiating all around him, the scent of sulfur and gas lingering in his nostrils. Even now he could still hear the dull drops of water dripping here and there could see the shadows playing on the walls from where ever the dim light in the boiler room seeped through in the nightmare world.

Springwood was a quiet town, normal and uneventful. Cedric had lived there for all of six months and other then his nightmares had found nothing of interest in the place. His house or his mother's family home was a two story American dream. Despite the fact that it was a normal run of the mill house in a boring town that had one mall roughly the size of a normal shopping plaza Cedric found it slightly eerie. There were barely children his age, older or younger there. The teens were somewhat normal but too quiet and reserved. When he had moved into the house he had heard slight gasps from the elderly Mrs. Lantz who lived just across the street. She muttered something about _'Another one'_ and _'My Glen...my poor Glen.' _

He later learned the Glen had been her son and had been murdered in the very house across the street. Apparently Mrs. Lantz had found the body, or what was left of it. He was non-too pleased to find that he could see directly into Glen's room from his bedroom window. When the nightmares had started he had figured it was because of what he'd heard about the murdered boy. Now he wasn't too sure.

He looked down at the letter in his lap and sighed reading it again.

_'Cedric, _

_I'm sorry that I haven't been able to write back. As you know I've begun dating again, thanks to your advice, and have been spending more time with my head out of the books. I wonder though if it really is ok to talk or rather write so unabashedly about it to you. I guess I might want to make you jealous? You said something about a nightmare before? I wonder if it has something to do with that boy who died. I wonder how living in muggle America must be for you not very exciting I suppose. Harry was excited for you he'd always wanted to visit America. Maybe he'll get the chance to see you if you'd like a visitor? Anyway I'm glad that you decided to go to college there next year and of you trying muggle senior classes in the high school if only to pass the time before you return here. I'm actually excited for you too despite the boredom you must be facing. I must confess that I have been worried about you. I keep dreaming of you running through some place running from something. Now you're giving me nightmares! I know that you've been having trouble but please take it easy, and get some sleep. I'll be waiting for your next letter._

_Cho'_

"Cedric are you ready to go?"

He looked up from his letter staring at his father's forced smile. He nodded standing and stretching his legs and arms. He pocketed the letter.

"Is it another letter from Harry?"

"No from Cho this time. She's worried about me."

Amos Diggory kept in step beside his son with a bit of difficulty. Cedric's long legs pushing forward quickly, sometimes Amos wondered how on earth he could have fathered Cedric-the boy was perfection. He was then reminded of his wife.

Cedric definitely took after his mother.

"I told her about the nightmares. I know it's silly but, they just seemed so real."

Amos patted his sons shoulder smiling the crease at the corners of his eyes deepening.

"It's just a dream Cedric. Dreams cannot hurt you."

"I know." Cedric answer-though he wasn't too sure.

-

Night had decended around the sleepy town of Springwood, the darkness falling like a heavy blanket over the small town and its citizens. While it looked peaceful enough if you listened closely you could hear the wails of those lost in the past, smell the sulfur in the air and hear the warning lullaby whisper seemingly through the trees from wind.

But no one listened and maybe that was why the story continued.

Cedric Diggory stared out his bedroom window looking towards Glen's room from his bed. It was eerie that Mrs. Lantz would leave the light on every night, as though waiting for her son to come home. There were posters that looked old and dirty remaining on the walls from the 80's like relics of the past that she could not let go. Cedric wondered each time he looked into the room if they had originally been there while Glen lived or if his mother had replaced them after the massacre of her son. The walls he noted, though he could barely see, had a sort of odd coloring to them in splatters.

It reminded him of old dried blood.

He sighed into the phone.

_"Oh my God, Cedric are you still staring into that room?"_ A voice on the other line said.

"Perhaps."

There was a sigh.

_"'Perhaps'...damned brits and your proper talk."_

"Gloria I find that highly offensive." He said laughing into the phone finally looking away from the window. He sat up crossing his legs. "That's a stereotype. You don't hear me berating you on your bad grammar because you're American."

_"That's because unlike the freaks that have lived here forever I can actually understand the fact that this place is bat-shit crazy and boring rolled into one big taco. You wouldn't offend the only other person you can actually talk to without getting the scary shakes."_

He rolled his eyes.

"You are so very eloquent."

_"Yeah I know. Anyway did you see the shrink in Weston Hills yet?"_

"Yes." He sighed.

_"They want you to stay there don't they? I heard from Sammy, the girl who like loves you from biology that her sister was sent there for some crazy shit. What's eating you anyway?"_

"I've been having nightmares again." He said simply. Gloria Thompson was the first person Cedric met in Springwood who hadn't given him strange 'vibes' as she called it. She was new, just like him to the place and found it just as odd as he did. There were others, two who had moved there that year. Aden Lane, who was in most of his classes and Nina Grey, Aden's girlfriend. "Is it my imagination or is our entire little group connected to this town in some way?"

_"No you're right. My mom, my real mom used to live here and Aden and Nina's older siblings lived here too or something like that. Hey did you know that Aden's brother was accused of murdering someone?"_

Cedric chuckled. He stood and walked towards the window. He stared at the house again for a moment before turning his attention to Mr. and Mrs. Lantz sitting on the front porch talking. "No I hadn't any idea."

_"Yeah? Well get this-Nina's older sister was Aden's brother's girlfriend!" _

"Oh how very curious."

_"Yeah well listen to **this** then, it'll make it a hell of a lot more interesting."_

"Do tell."

_"Tina Grey was the one who Aden's brother supposedly murdered. His own girlfriend! Sick isn't it?"_

Cedric hadn't been expecting that. He moved to the other side of his window to hide behind the curtains. Mr. Lantz had looked up and almost caught Cedric staring with her doe like blank eyes.

"You're lying."

_"It's the truth! Could you believe it? I mean if I were Nina I wouldn't touch Aden with a 50-foot pole. It's just sick."_

"Well young love and all that..." He trailed off a bit peeking from being the navy blue shades, relief flooding him noting that the Lantz's had gone back inside, the porch light was still on but Cedric figured by now that they kept it on all night. Perhaps like leaving the light on in Glen's bedroom, maybe this light was to welcome him home? "Though it is a bit odd. I wonder what the parents think of it?"

_"Nina's mother doesn't seem to really care and well you know Aden's mom Betty, she's always drunk anyway. Hey didn't she come onto you or something?"_

"I think so though Aden was kind enough to pull me away from the line of that fire. Now she thinks I'm gay."

Gloria laughed.

_"Yeah well I can get that. You're always so clean."_

"I shower." He said in a deadpan voice.

_"You match all the time."_

"It's not a crime to have fashion sense."

_"...you're pretty."_

His gray eyes narrowed, obviously he'd been called pretty before-it had started his fourth year...damn Slytherins.

"I prefer the term _attractive_."

He could practically feel her roll her eyes and couldn't help but wonder how Aden, Nina and Gloria would get along with his other friends. Harry was okay and was quite friendly open but a bit shy. The others however made him shrink back slightly. Cho would very much not approve in his new friends not because they were American or muggles but because they were crude with their words and very rash. Maybe not Nina but then again Nina had her own set of issues and quirks that he could barely deal with thinking of.

Yes, Harry would be the only one to get along with them-the Weasley twins also.

_"Cedric hello? Fabio! Are you there man or have you fallen into sleepy land on me again?"_

He laughed.

"No I'm still here. I was thinking about my friends back home."

_"Ah a girl?"_

"I said friends not girlfriend. I was just thinking of how much you are different from them."

_"They would totally love the awesomeness that is me!"_ Gloria said. Cedric could hear her grandfather shush her. _"So anyone cute that might visit you? And so help me Cedric M. Diggory if you say any female names I will lick you through the phone."_

"That makes no sense...Harry Potter maybe? He's two years younger then us though but he'd get along with the crazy lot of you."

_"You're calling us crazy?"_

He nodded though she couldn't see it. He walked to his dresser and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He still wore his casual muggle clothes and the shadows under his eyes had seemed to deepen. He looked pale, sallow. "Who else would eat dirt on a dare? (Gloria) Who else would jump from his roof just because of a bet? (Aden) Who else would...what on earth _does_ Nina do?"

_"...sleep around during the rare occasion she and Aden break up which is once every two weeks."_

"It is like clock work for them isn't it?" He yawned a bit loudly rubbing his tired eyes. The clock hanging above the door read twelve thirty. "Well I'm heading off to bed. I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

_"Dude its Saturday I'm sleeping in! Just go to Nina's she's always awake."_

"Alright then."

_"Night. Oh and Cedric?"_

"Yes?"

_"...I...be careful."_

"Of what?"

_"Just...be careful. Remember that stuff I taught you?"_

Cedric lifted his eyes to the ceiling in deep thought running through his minds index the bolts and cranks he imagined springing and twisting the gears there.

"Always dream of some place fun?"

_"And when that doesn't work?"_

"Dream Master Lullaby? And a mirror under my pillow?"

_"Right."_

He smiled.

"Goodnight Gloria."

_"Goodnight Cedric."_

He placed the phone on its charger and laughed. Cedric pulled off his clothes slowly rolling his shoulders, pulling on his flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt over his head his thoughts running on everything; Cho's letters, the tournament, moving to America...

...Glen Lantz, dead, lying in pieces in a box beneath the ground for eighteen years, he knew though it was never stated how he knew Cedric knew that the boy who died was cut up into small pieces. He'd seen it in a dream.

Cedric lay in his bed for an undetermined amount of time minutes passing into hours until he felt his lids close and the heavy warmth of sleep with a bit of trepidation slip in. His hand holding the mirror under his pillow tightened before he dosed off. Wishing that he didn't end up in the boiler room and despite the feeling of silliness because he still wore his trainers to bed Cedric prayed.

He prayed that he could out run it again with the help of his trainers.

He prayed that he would find himself dreaming the way he used to before the move.

He prayed that he wouldn't see the burnt Boogie Man or hear his metallic claws against the metal steaming pipes or hear the raucous laughter emanating throughout the boiler room.

Cedric prayed as he always did before going to bed as though he may never awaken because he felt that the one night he didn't he would meet the same fate as dead Glen Lantz.

"Now...I lay me down to sleep..." He began. "The...master of dreams my soul shall...keep...in the reflection of mind's eye...evil will see itself...and it...shall...die..."

Amos Diggory shut the bedroom door to his son's room with a frown on his face and despite the feeling in his gut made no move to waken his son.

Because, adults know better because dreams were merely dreams.

-

_"Cedric!"_

Cedric rolled over on his back bringing his left arm up to his still closed eyes. He rubbed the sleep out of them he sat up.

"Huh?" His eyes opened to his room-but it was slightly different. The walls that were white were now pink and posters adorned his empty walls. His bed was smaller with a ruffled comforter and there was a T.V. sitting on a wicker chair near a night table that hadn't been beside his bed before.

It was a girl's room.

"Where am I?"

_"Cedric!"_ The voice whispered again too quickly to determine if it was a girl or boy but the voice was high. A child maybe?

Suddenly the door, where a mirror hung, swung opened. A red haired tanned woman stood at the doorway in a robe staring directly at him.

"No nonsense outta you tonight Nancy. Try getting some sleep." The woman said softly and before Cedric, deeply insulted for being taken as a girl, could tell the woman he was not Nancy he heard a girls voice from beside him.

"Ok mama, I'll try."

The girl had thick brown curls cascading over her shoulders, her brown eyes appearing as tired as his. Her pink pajamas were clotted with dirt as though she'd rolled outside with them while her hands had small raw scrapes.

"No trying. Go to sleep." The woman, Mama, said before shutting the door. Cedric stared at the girl before her eyes turned to him.

"Cedric." She said. "You have to wake up."

"W-why?" He asked shaky. He was speaking to a dream, though it wasn't a dream. He was sure of it.

"He's gonna figure that you're here I can't keep stealing you away...wake up!" She whispered again her eyes pleading.

"You're the crazy girl who lived here before...the one Mrs. Lantz spoke of right?" He asked remembering her name now. The crazy woman next door had mentioned a Nancy only once, saying that she was Glen's girlfriend. That she had seen him die in the window of her bedroom only now it hit him that this was Nancy and that his bedroom originally was hers.

"Yes. Cedric, you have to listen to me, you have to go back to Weston Hills and ask for Alice Johnson. She'll give you the Hipnocil."

"What is it? A drug what's it for?"

"It'll keep you alive." She said a bit more determined. "You don't wanna end up like me."

"Like what?"

She exhaled deeply, her eyes moving back and forth slowly as to collect her thoughts it all seemed slightly surreal even to her. It seemed as though she were talking for the first time and thinking for the first time in a long time.

Cedric wondered if this girl was just a dream.

"A long time ago there was a man who used to take kids into his boiler room and did unspeakable things. He was arrested but the judges couldn't hold him something about the evidence. The parents got angry and followed him to his boiler room and burned him alive. That's when it happened."

"When what happened?"

"He started coming back to kill the children in their dreams." She left off slightly remembering. "All the children of those that killed him-the Elm Street children."

Cedric hadn't realized when he'd grabbed her cold hand but when he had realized it didn't let go. "Then why me? I'm a foreigner. I'm from London and not even really muggle London but...oh but you wouldn't know about that."

"Those who killed him...he's going after their children...Cedric..._their_ children...you have to-"

Someone heavily banged on the door making the mirror shake. Cedric shut his eyes and when they opened he was sitting with the girl in the boiler room. He could feel the sweat on his brow, the sweat on their palms as they held hands.

His heart thudded against his chest wildly in fright. He was in the nightmare room and he just realized he was without his mirror.

"We have to go." He said attempting to pull her but she stood firm shaking her head. "Come on Nancy before he gets here."

"It's too late for me...I died a long time ago...wake up Cedric do it now! He's..."

_Screeech...!_

He knew that sound coming from deep within the shadowed room, in some dank dark corner.

_Screeech....!_

"...Wake up! Cedric please wake up!"

_'1...2...Freddy's...coming...for...you...'_ He could hear the children's lullaby hear the swing of the jump rope.

"Well...there he is..." Cedric saw him, the Boogie Man standing not ten feet from him and Nancy with his arms stretched towards him. His burnt face wet and dripping as his mouth opened to give a rotted toothy grin. He lifted his gloved, clawed hand and moved it so that the blades made an odd sound and glimmered in their terrifying beauty. "Fresh meat!"

"**WAKE UP**!"

Cedric rolled out of bed hitting his carpeted floor with a thud headfirst to the sound o his alarm clock blaring to life, the Beach Boys played loudly overly cheery darkening his mood. He made no move to stop the song or move at all.

"Shit."

Cedric rolled over on his back and grabbed his aching head. He sat up staring passed his bed to the glimmering sunlight spilling through the window. It was early morning; he assumed a beautiful morning that seemed artificial.

"Ugh..." He rubbed his red forehead. "What a nightmare!"

He stood up shakily and stared about the room. It looked like it did before he went to bed, no remnants of pink and _furly_ anything not posters on the walls with men with too much make up or bad hair. Suddenly he realized that there _was_ something in his hand, soft cloth material resting against his palm. He lifted his hand and opened his fisted hand to find cloth, like he had felt. Torn faded pink cloth-torn from the sleeve of a girls Pajama top.

A ghost's pajama top.

He threw it across the room in fright, staring at it as though it had offended him in some horrific way. He hadn't felt that way since he had been in school during that tournament where he'd met...no Cedric wouldn't think about that now. Not when a very dead girl had left him a piece of her clothing in the palm of his hand.

"It...wasn't a dream...!"

"Cedric! Are you awake m'boy?" His father's voice boomed from down stairs. Cedric pulled himself together walking to his bedroom door where it was ajar, taking a deep soothing breath before answering in his most normal voice.

"Yes father I'm awake!"

"There are pancakes!"

"Thanks father! I'll be down in a moment!" He shouted back before shutting the door. He sat on his bed, thinking about the dream. "...Nancy..."

It was odd but when he thought of her she seemed, somehow very familiar.

-

"Holy shit Diggers got the car today!" Gloria Thompson skipped down the porch steps of her small house, her booted feet making a _thunk_ sound on each step as she smiled brightly. Cedric noticed that her clothes were in a different style yet again, not peppy like the day before but more classic 90's attire wearing baggy jeans and a burgundy sweater that showed off too much of her flat belly. She tended to change her look every so often.

"Yes well I asked father if I could take the other car since it's a waste for it to just stay in the drive way." He said opening the passenger door and letting her inside. "What do you think?"

"Well the car's a relic Corvette straight from a greasers drag race but I dig it."

"I'm glad you approve." He laughed. "So what's with your clothing today?"

She gave a toothy grin going through her tiny purse back pac for some sweets that he'd have to take away from her later anyway.

"Well I was going through this thrift store yesterday and found these Doc Martins and then got this wild idea."

"Here we go."

She ignored his comment and went on.

"Well then I got to thinking about you know really old magazines...you know how Nina's mom collects them right? Well I snagged some and totally got fashion ideas from them. I mean I look like I just walked out of Boy Meets World."

"So circa 1997 then?"

"Rightio!" She said with a smile as she popped a Starburst into her mouth. "So where are we going?"

"Well, I thought I would drop you off at the sitter's."

"Nina's?"

"That is correct." He said pulling out of the narrow driveway ignoring her glare. "And then I was going to head out of town."

"Where to?"

"Some where."

"Where?"

"A place."

"What place?"

He laughed at her childlike curiosity.

"A place. Merlin, you're just like a child."

"And you're weird because you say Merlin instead of Jesus or God. Why is that anyway? Don't tell me you're some sort of wizard who's trying to live like the non magic folk."

"Er that's silly!" She'd hit the nail on the head. "Actually I was going to Weston Hills."

"Why?"

He recounted the dream to her from beginning to end driving around a bit in to no particular destination before setting in a parking space in the parking lot of Pay Less. The sun still high above in the cloudless sky shimmering happily. "So what do you think?"

"I think it's crazy but I'm in."

---

**Sera: I've been working on it...its bad but...I will be updating it. I'm just in love with this premise. Anyone that you may like to have an appearance I might consider it-only if it makes a little bit of sense. **

**Sasuke: And no flames also for this to continue on at all it must be reviewed or else she'll just continue to write it for her own pleasure and never have it published on the site.**


	2. Status of the story

**Hey guy's LovingTheOgre (SERA) here, making some announcements. **

**Anyway, I know I've neglected a lot of these stories and there were 2 that I was going to continue. But real life gets in the way and as some of you knew, I had recently moved into my own place. I'm moving out-that's a big factor in the whole "I'm not updating because life's weird thing". **

**I'm moving because I'm pregnant (about four months), I've lost my job and have no way to pay for my new place. I'm moving in with my boyfriend Todd, who I should call my sugar daddy fiance since we're getting married pretty darn soon.**

**So...this is what's been going on with me. I know some of you, I wont say names, have been a little hostile when sending messages because I haven't updated. It's been a hell of a two years is all I have to say, this year took the punch though. I'm going to take a little break from FF to focus on...well...having a _baby_.**

**I will continue Ren and FOTB:2 when I can, it will just be a while. And as for Sasuke? **

**Sasuke: Yeah well...I'm moving. Apparently I'm being given to Kale_Henderson who is writing_ Harry Potter and the Real Girl_. Kale happens to be Sera's friend and happens to like me (based totally on my looks. She's never seen or read Naruto before!) so it wont be that different from being here. **

**Sera: And along with giving Kale the ok to have Sasuke she will also be taking over my Cedric/Nightmare fic after she finishes her own. So if you liked Nightmare on Elm Street and Harry Potter crossover then be prepared for some terrifying writing because Kale likes to...go there. I mean by there being creepy. To find her just go on my fav authors list and find Kale_Henderson.  
**

**Sasuke: And don't fret. Kale is also working on the ZOMBIE/ Naruto crossover as well for our pregnant Sera. For someone who hasn't read or seen Naruto it will be a stretch.**

**Sera: But hey, she's good. Anyway, I hope you aren't too disappointed. I can't wait to be back here. I'll try as soon as I can.**

**Sasuke: It's a boy by the way.**

**Sera: Sasuke!**

**Sasuke: Hn...**


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